1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multi-user camera system control particularly for use in video teleconferencing systems, distance learning, audience response, and particularly to user controls for video cameras and associated apparatus in these systems, as well as systems employing automatic tracking capabilities.
2. Prior Art
Current multi-user camera systems in applications such as video conferencing, distance learning, etc. employing cameras have a single point of centralized control with some limited pan, tilt, zoom, and location presents. Having a centralized control generally requires a facilitator to act as a camera operator. This facilitator must decide who or what will be displayed, select a camera, pan, tilt, and zoom the camera and will require repetition of this process each time someone new takes the floor. An alternative method is to use a wide angle shot of the entire group of people. The primary drawback of this alternative approach is that no one can be seen clearly in such a wide field of view. The facilitator has one more level of control that attempts to solve the multi-user problems; the location presets. By using presets, the facilitator can press a button to position a camera to predetermined pan, tilt, and zoom settings, and must still decide when, who and what to display. These location presets still require the presence of the facilitator who must still attempt to follow the conversation(s) via the use of location presets for the participants in the group.
What is needed is a system that solves these problems by providing a distributed control architecture to the participants, in place of or to compliment a centralized controller for the facilitator. Each person involved would have a single person user interface which allows control of the desired view of each person or anything else to be displayed. When a person wants to speak, a command can be sent and a camera is directed to such person, allowing a face to face conversation or allowing the display of of a predetermined view. Now each person can be seen clearly and at the proper time. This eliminates the facilitator's guess work of who or what to display. One-on-one conversations now become the rule rather than the exception. When appropriate, the entire group can be displayed by issuing the appropriate command from any of the individual controllers.
The desired system should include automatic tracking capability so that when the appropriate command or commands are sent, the system will automatically locate the user controller, automatically select a camera, and automatically select the desired field of view of the camera based on the user's location in the system area. Also, pan, tilt, zoom and iris of the camera may be made and remembered automatically without the assistance of the facilitator.